The first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, held on 27 December 2020, was called for by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the need for communities at local, national, and global levels to have systems in place to effectively deal with epidemics when they occur but to also work towards preventing future epidemics.
The WHO works closely with governments to support efforts to build strong emergency and epidemic preparedness systems. Global health crises threaten to overwhelm already overstretched health systems, disrupt global supply chains and cause disproportionate devastation of the livelihoods of people, including women and children, and the economies of the poorest and most vulnerable countries.
There is a therefore a great need to raise awareness, the exchange of information, scientific knowledge, best practices, quality education, and advocacy programmes on epidemics at the local, national, regional, and global levels as effective measures to prevent and respond to epidemics.